In Luke 22:31-32 I read, “Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” (NLT)
Jesus is not surprised by my failures.
He says to Simon Peter in Luke 22:31-32, “Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers” (NLT). This very powerful verse teaches a lot about my failures.
Just as he did with Peter, Jesus knows every failure in my life before it happens. He won’t be surprised at the failures I’ll have this year or any bad decisions I’ll make far in the future. He already knows them. He knows the past, present, and future. He knows everything before it happens. That’s why he also prays for me before my failure happens.
Notice that Jesus says, “when you have repented and turned to me again.” He doesn’t say “if.” Jesus already knows that I’ll recover from the sins, mistakes, and bad decisions that I’m going to make in the future.
God already knows. And because he knows, he has already prayed for me. He has prayed not just for me to make it through but that I would repent from my sin and then—the last part of this verse—strengthen the other disciples.
Jesus wants me to help others as I learn from my mistakes. Part of God’s dream for my life is to take the lessons of my mistakes and help somebody else.
The same four things Jesus says to Peter he is also saying to me: “I know every mistake you’re going to make in life, and I’ve already prayed for them. Because of that, I know you’re going to come back to me. Then, when you come back, I want you to help other people.”
That’s good news. It means that, ultimately, I can’t destroy my life if I’ve given it to God, because he is going to work it all out. What a comfort!
Everyone has failures. But how I respond to failure can set me apart. As a follower of Jesus, repent of my sin; then encourage other believers in their faith, showing them how to be obedient to God’s Word.
In summary, Jesus is not surprised by my failures. In Luke 22:31-32 Jesus tells Peter when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers. Just as he did with Peter, Jesus knows every failure in my life before it happens. He won’t be surprised at the failures. He already knows them. He knows everything before it happens. That’s why he also prays for me before my failure happens. Notice that Jesus says, “when you have repented and turned to me again.” He doesn’t say “if.” Jesus already knows that I’ll recover from the sins, mistakes, and bad decisions that I’m going to make in the future. He has already prayed for me. He has prayed not just for me to make it through but that I would repent from my sin and then and then strengthen others. Jesus wants me to help others as I learn from my mistakes. Part of God’s dream for my life is to take the lessons of my mistakes and help somebody else. The same four things Jesus says to Peter he says to me: “I know every mistake, I’ve already prayed for them. I know you’re going to come back to me. When you come back, I want you to help other people.” That’s good news. I can’t destroy my life if I’ve given it to God, because he is going to work it all out. Everyone has failures. How I respond to failure can set me apart. As a follower of Jesus, I should repent of my sin; then encourage other believers in their faith, showing them how to be obedient to God’s Word.
Satan wanted to crush Simon Peter and the other disciples like grains of wheat. He hoped to find only chaff and blow it away. But Jesus assured Peter that his faith, although it would falter, would not be destroyed. It would be renewed, and Peter would become a powerful leader.
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